Search and Destroy
by INMH
Summary: Arthur is suspicious, Morgana is good at lying, and Merlin is good at finding good hiding places. A little too good, in this case.


Search and Destroy

**Rating:** PG-13/T

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Summary:** Arthur is suspicious, Morgana is good at lying, and Merlin is good at finding good hiding places. A little too good, in this case.

**Author's Note:** Ah, Mergana. I have been wanting to write more of you. TODAY, I DO.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Merlin, it belongs to the BBC.

[-]

"There is someone in your room."

Arthur had lived with Morgana for most of his life, and to this day he was still unable to determine when she was lying or not. It didn't help that she was excellent at keeping a straight face even under pressure, which was precisely what she seemed to be doing now.

"Arthur, I have no idea what you're talking about. Go back to bed."

Arthur glared at her. "If you really had no idea what I was talking about, you would have slammed the door in my face already for bothering you this late at night."

Morgana's smile was thin. "I would, but you're standing to close and I'd rather not have Uther angry with me for breaking your nose when you're meant to ride out with the knights tomorrow."

Arthur gave a nasally little laugh. "Very funny, quite the comedian, you. Well, if you have nothing to hide, you won't mind me looking around?"

Morgana's eyes narrowed. "Go back to bed, Arthur." Her voice held a warning that he had heard many a time before, and usually before some kind of pain was inflicted upon him.

"Or, if you prefer, I can tell father that I heard something, and he and the guards will insist upon a search."

Morgana went from narrowed eyes to a cold, dark, contemplating-murder sort of glower, but she finally flung the door open the rest of the way and allowed Arthur inside.

He had started suspecting as of late that Morgana had been keeping some discreet company in the later hours of the evening. It had started about two weeks previously, when he had been to her chambers a week before and seen a bouquet of unusual flowers in a vase on the table. When he had asked, she had said that Gwen had brought them for her. Thinking that the plants resembled a kind that could be dangerous if touched, Arthur had gone to ask Gwen where she had gotten them- and Gwen had bemusedly said that she hadn't brought Morgana flowers recently.

Then there had been the incident in the hallway. Arthur had been nearing a turn, only to nearly be bowled-over by Morgana as she came through the same doorway. He caught a brief glimpse of her face before their near-collision: She was smiling wickedly over her shoulder at someone, eyes positively flirtatious in nature. And when they had both stopped to apologize and move around, Arthur had noticed that the collar of her dress was askew- askew in a way that could not have been from anything but another person playing with it. The suspicion had grown.

The noises, however, had cinched it.

Sir Leon had mentioned that he had heard some odd noises- human noises- coming from Morgana's chambers as he walked by one evening. He had assumed on that one night that Morgana had simply gone to bed early and was making noise in her sleep- but hearing it twice more over the next week and a half had made him suspicious.

"I would never, of course," Leon had said, licking his lips with some nervousness, "accuse the Lady Morgana of less-than-becoming behavior for one of her status-"

"Of course not," Arthur cut in quickly. "I know. I will look into it." Indeed he would.

And indeed he did, upon hearing precisely what sort of noises Sir Leon had been referring to as he waited near Morgana's room that night. Convinced that he was about to solve whatever mystery needed to be solved, Arthur had approached, knocked on the door, and- Well, here they were.

He stepped inside and scanned the room. At first blush, there didn't seem to be anything out of place. "Anything you would like you tell me before I start?"

"You're a prat."

"Lovely. And I _will_ be looking behind the curtains this time."

"Go right ahead."

Arthur glanced at her, wondering if maybe she was attempting to trick him again with her supposed indifference, but then resolved that whatever she did or said, he would be looking _everywhere_.

He went straight for the curtains in the corner first. They were already moving slightly with the wind coming from the window as he pulled them open, wide enough so that there could be no mistaking it if someone was hiding behind (or in) them. When Arthur turned back and flashed Morgana the best imitation of her earlier smile that he could, she gave him a look that could burn the soul of a lesser man. Fortunately, there was nothing lesser about him, and so he endured it with only a slight flinch that he carefully hid when he turned his back to her.

Then, under the bed- nothing. Arthur thought that maybe he should have checked there first, if only to ensure that anyone hiding under it wouldn't have slipped out unnoticed as he checked the curtains. But the door was shut, and he was fairly content that it would have made some kind of noise if it had been opened and closed again.

Something collided with his backside as he bent to look under the bed, and Arthur whipped around to glare at Morgana, who blinked back innocently. "What?"

"You are _such_ a-"

"Comedian, I know. Are you done yet?"

"_No_." Arthur stood up, brushed his pants off, and proceeded to check the wardrobe. He stopped briefly to pick up a red napkin that must have fallen off the table when Morgana had eaten earlier, dropping it over the back of a chair before yanking the wardrobe open. For a moment, he was tempted to use his sword to poke around, but knew that Morgana could and would hurt him if he ruined any of her clothes, and so he refrained.

"Do be certain to check in every dress, Arthur. Never know who might be hiding in one." Morgana advised dryly. Arthur's jaw tightened, but he ignored her.

It was soon obvious that no one was in the wardrobe. He then checked behind the screen that Morgana changed behind- no one there, either. Then he checked beneath the vanity, which made Morgana snort (it would have been quite obvious if someone was hiding under it). Arthur glanced around the room for other places that a person might be able to hide in or behind and, to his irritation found none.

But he _had_ heard something. Someone _had_ been in Morgana's room.

Morgana's cold fury seemed to have reduced itself to disdainful mockery, because her eyes were sharp and saccharine when he looked back at her. "Find what you were looking for, Arthur?" She asked snidely, head propped up with one hand in an exaggerated expression of boredom.

Arthur glared at her. "I heard something. Noises coming from your room. What were they?"

Morgana's eyes rolled shut. "I was having a nightmare."

Arthur crossed the room, pointing at her accusingly. "You're still dressed!"

"I fell asleep reading a book, you halfwit. I haven't undressed yet." Morgana snapped, straightening up and crossing her arms.

"Then why isn't Gwen still here?" Arthur pressed. "She helps you get undressed, doesn't she?"

Morgana smiled patronizingly. "Yes, Arthur, she does. However, unlike you, _I _know how to dress and undress myself without help."

Arthur went bright red at that, and kicked himself for walking into what was (in retrospect) an easy line of fire.

But he remained unconvinced that his accusation was unfounded. Unfortunately there really was nowhere else a person could have been hiding, and Morgana might already be inclined to bring the matter up with his father in the morning- or right now, if he kept pushing her. As painful as it was, he would have to concede defeat for tonight.

Arthur gathered his pride and strode to the door. He deliberately avoided looking at Morgana for fear that he would see the smugness on her face, but turned back once he had stepped out the door for one last word.

"I know what I heard, Morgana, and if you really think I'm so stupid-"

"Yes." Morgana said bluntly before swinging the door shut in his face.

[-]

Morgana waited until she could hear Arthur's footsteps storming off down the passage before heaving a slow breath of relief.

"Gods, I thought we were in trouble." A moment passed, and when there was no response, she frowned. "Merlin?" Nothing. Then, a little louder, "Merlin?"

"Out here!"

She looked around, confused, until it clicked- her eyes widened, and Morgana dashed over to the window.

Hanging from a small groove just below the ledge by his fingertips was Merlin, looking up at her with a smile far brighter than anyone who had come within inches of being caught by Arthur had a right to show.

"How on _earth_ have you not fallen?!" She hissed, quickly lowering her voice so that the guards in the courtyard below wouldn't hear her. It was a wonder none of them had spotted Merlin yet anyhow.

"Would you believe magic?" Merlin grunted as Morgana helped him heave himself back into her room.

"That's not funny." She said it just as Merlin cleared the sill and tumbled to the floor. To his credit, he bounced back quickly, grinning up at her with that almost puppy-like expression.

"Aw, come on. It was- just a little, anyway."

Morgana rolled her eyes, and leaned down to kiss his forehead as she reached back towards the table with one hand. When she pulled back, Merlin started to sit up so that he might continue it only to have a red cloth- which he quickly realized was his discarded scarf- dropped over his face. "You left this."

"Did Arthur see it?"

"Yes."

"And had no idea?"

"Is your neck intact?" Morgana inquired flatly.

"Yes."

"Then obviously he didn't." She turned around and swept back towards the bed, and felt him watch her all the way. When she sat down and turned to look at him again, Morgana saw that Merlin was waiting. She smiled. "Arthur's gone for tonight, at least. We might as well make the best of it."

Merlin's smile found just a bit of wickedness and he stood up. "We'll have to be more careful next time."

"Mm," Morgana agreed as he sat down beside her and leaned in. "Or we could just lock him in the wardrobe."

She felt rather than heard his laughter against her lips.

-End


End file.
